Technology is expected to dominate the Christmas market with games consoles and tablets tipped to emerge victorious this year, according to retail consultancy Verdict.
The Sony PlayStation 4, which will go on sale across Europe on November 29 for £349, is expected to be one of the top sellers and is available for pre-order through Amazon, Tesco and Game.
The prediction is good news for Sony, who made a loss of $8m in Q3 and cut its annual profit forecasts by 40 per cent on Friday. The company is relying on a strong performance from the PS4 to bring it into the black.
New PS4 games include shoot ‘em ups‘ Killzone Shadow Fall and Call of Duty: Ghosts and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. More game announcements are expected to be made on November 14.
Tech giant Microsoft launch the new £429 Xbox One on November 22 and is also predicted to be very popular. However, some could be left disappointed on Christmas Day after Microsoft stated orders placed after August 15 might not make the vital deadline.
Xbox One allows Skype voice calls, live sports, films and games alongside a dedicated gaming platform.
Patrick O‘Brien, Lead Analyst for Verdict Retail said technology has been a major Christmas seller for some years now: iPods, then e-readers, then tablets.
He told Retail Gazette: “Tablets still have a way to go in terms of penetration, but with so many highly capable devices being released at more affordable levels this year, and the fact that the technology itself is very family friendly (i.e. everyone can use them), they will find their way into a lot of Christmas stockings next month.”
Sales of low priced Android tablets are also expected to be strong as people adapt to the Post-PC era.
The predictions came as research from Microsoft Advertising revealed almost a third of families talk to each other on tablets or smartphones when they are in the same house, with nine per cent speaking on video rather than face to face.
